Speak up, stand firm, stay strong
Feb. 12 — Hi, y’all. There has been a lot of cruelty and chaos taking place in the Georgia General Assembly and in Washington, D.C. Lawmakers keep pushing anti-LGBTQ+ bills, especially aimed at transgender people, and the news can be quite dreary, like today’s weather.
🕊️ But there is always hope.
🏳️🌈 Last weekend, I attended the United States Association of Prides National Conference held in Atlanta, thanks to an invitation from our own Atlanta Pride. The keynote speaker was Stacey Abrams, the former minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, gubernatorial candidate and longtime LGBTQ+ ally.
🔥 Her speech was lit. She called all of us — LGBTQ+, Black, disabled, Latinx, Native American, Asian American — to not give in or give up. She said our enemies are using chaos not as a weapon, but as a conditioning tool to try to make us forget we have been here before. Instead, we must speak up, stand firm and stay strong. Because all of united is a powerful force that always wins.
📢 “We are in a moment where the only answer is for us to be louder, to be more aggressive, to refuse to go back,” she said. “They are mad because we are winning, and they want to convince us that we are wrong.”
🇺🇸 “But no matter what they decide, we must make the decision in this moment, in this space, that we will not let our American pride, our U.S. pride, be quashed by those who do not understand that we are all Americans and they don’t have the right to take that from us,” Abrams said.
Read on for stories about Atlanta Pride’s Pride Across the Peach initiative to award grants to local Pride organizations across the state, the Georgia Senate passing another anti-trans bill, and queer representation at this year’s SCAD TVfest.
Take care, y’all.
Dyana
(she/her)
Grants support local Pride groups across Georgia
🏳️🌈 In 2024, Atlanta Pride launched its Pride Across the Peach State initiative, a grant program focused on uplifting, supporting, and amplifying the efforts of local Pride organizations across Georgia.
Thirteen organizations – Atlanta Black Pride, Carrollton Rainbow, Compassionate Atlanta, Cultivate Savannah, Debra Smith Wellness Center and Colgay Pride, Macon Pride, Out On Film, Rome Georgia Pride, Savannah Pride Center, Smyrna is Fabulous, South Georgia Pride, Southern Fried Queer Pride, and Statesboro Pride – received a total of $50,000 to support their Pride events.
On Feb. 5 and 6, grantees convened with Atlanta Pride to build off this support through networking and community building.
💵 Read Katie Burkholder’s story here.
Ga. Senate passes bill to strip state-funded transgender medical care
🏳️⚧️ The GOP-led Georgia Senate passed legislation Tuesday, Feb. 11, that would prohibit state health insurance plans from paying for medical care related to changing gender. Senate Bill 39 was adopted by Republicans on a 33-19 party-line vote.
“This is just mean-spirited legislation,” said Sen. RaShaun Kemp, D-Atlanta, who is openly gay. “This is wrong.”
The measure comes after a similar vote last week when the Senate passed a proposed ban on the participation of transgender athletes in school sports.
🏛️ Read the story from our media partner Capitol Beat.
MORE HEADLINES
➳ Transgender, nonbinary people file lawsuit against passport executive order
➳ U.S. Education Department moves to end support for trans students
➳ Georgia leads in HIV cases. Here’s why the life-saving drug PrEP faces barriers in the state.
Embark on a prehistoric adventure!
SPONSORED BY THE FERNBANK MUSEUM
🦖 Journey through time at Fernbank Museum to discover what made dinosaurs that once roamed the Southern Hemisphere unique from their better-known relatives in North America. With stunning skeletal displays and augmented reality, the new exhibit Ultimate Dinosaurs reveals how the breakup of Pangaea shaped the evolution of dinosaurs. See life-sized casts, fossils, and hands-on specimens like Eoraptor and Giganotosaurus.
➡ Visit the Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit daily during regular hours, plus select after-hours events until May 4. Plan your visit today and step into the prehistoric world!
Queer representation shines at SCAD TVfest
📺 SCAD TVfest, the Atlanta celebration of all things television, not only debuts a number of series each year but always hosts queer performers. This year’s 13th annual event, held Feb. 5 – 7, was no exception.
One of the big draws was Laverne Cox, who attended on behalf of the new series “Clean Slate” (pictured) and received the Impact Award. Cox, who received an Emmy nomination for her work on the series “Orange is the New Black,” not only stars in the Prime Video offering but is an executive producer.
The series was filmed in Savannah and Cox headlines as Desiree Slate, who decides to return home to deal with her past and live with her estranged father. The show is inspired by Cox’s time growing up in Alabama.
👪 Join Men Having Babies at the Surrogacy Conference & Expo in Atlanta, Feb. 21-23. Gain essential resources for LGBTQ+ parents, including cost-saving tips, legal insights, and community support. Registration starts at $30. Sign up now! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Best Bets
Bang, Bang
🎤 Wussy and City Winery at Ponce City Market are hosting the Ariana Grande Drag Brunch on Jan. 18 at noon featuring performances by Brigitte Bidet, Christina Leon, Cici Nicole, Drew Friday, and Eros Étoile. Get tickets here.
Mass matrimony
👰🏽 Charis Books & More is hosting a Matrimony for the People Mass Wedding event on Jan. 19 at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony will be officiated by Charis Circle Executive Director E.R. Anderson.
Breaking bread
🥞 The Southern Unity Movement hosts the 24th annual Bayard Rustin/Audre Lorde CommuFeb. 12 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre kicks off its latest Atlanta shows at the Fox Theatre tonight through Feb. 16. Tickets are available here. Be sure to read Jim Farmer’s interview with Ailey performer Vernard J. Gilmore.
Feb. 14 – Southern Fried Queer Pride is hosting BLESS YR HEART, a queer Valentine’s Day dance party at the Star Bar, 437 Moreland Ave. Doors and music at 10 p.m. There will be a special performance by ALT3R and DJ sets by Boomchld, Craibby, Taylor Alxndr, and sexual health resources provided by the Georgia Department of Public Health. Get tickets and information at southernfriedqueerpride.com.
Feb. 15 – The 2025 Georgia GSA/LGBTQ+ Youth Summit is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Agnes Scott College in Decatur. The event offers an opportunity to meet other queer and trans youth from around the state. The summit will offer educational breakout sessions, entertainment, art, community resources, and advocacy opportunities. Get more details and registration information at GeorgiaSafeSchoolsCoalition.org.
Feb. 19 – Lavender Lens Queer Movie Night will host a screening of the iconic documentary “Paris Is Burning” (pictured) on Feb. 19 at 7 pm. At The Supermarket, 638 N. Highland Ave. Directed by Jennie Livingston, the film introduced a group of drag and trans performers in New York’s ball and house scene. Get tickets and information at thesupermarketatl.com.
Feb. 22 – Celebrate Black History Month and raise funds for houseless LGBTQ+ youth on Feb. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Dr. Lulu PRIDE Open Mic Night for Black History Month. The event will be held at Kat’s Cafe, 970 Piedmont Ave. NE. Tickets and information are available here.
Social Follow of the Week
📸 It’s really very simple. Let’s check the board. One of my fave LGBTQ+ influencers is RaeShanda Lias on Tik Tok and Instagram. Her wisdom, wit and rants on all things political and cultural are like a salve and catalyst in these times. Chats with Nutmeg, her cat, are purrfect.
